I'm a wildlife major at Texas A&M and love learning more with everything related to the subject. My family has a ranch along the rio grande river in south Texas. Does anyone have any suggestions on books to buy? Anything from tracking, wildlife(already have some on quail and cattle), south texas stories, indians,etc... Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!!

Anything by Jim Corbett. Not Texas, but some of the best hunting stories ever written.

All of J. Frank Dobie. A lot of Elmer Kelton (The Time It Never Rained is a favorite of mine). Peter Hathaway Capstick. A really interesting read is The Beast In The Garden by David Baron. Tom Brown has written some books that are partially about tracking, and partially self-promoting...but they have some good info if you can wade through all the other stuff.

Second all of J. Frank Dobies tales, they are some of my favorites. Not of Texas but as a wildlife major, Aldo Leopold should be relevant to your interest.

"Empire of the Summer Moon" by S.C. Gwynne
"Lone Star: A History of Texas and Texans" by T.R. Fehrenbach

do an inter webb search, you will find plenty

I just finished reading Man-Eaters of Kumaon by hunter-naturalist Jim Corbett. It details Corbett's experiences in the Kumaon region of India from the 1900 to the 1930s, while hunting man-eating tigers and leopards. One tiger, for example, was responsible for over 400 human deaths.

This guy's tracking skills were nothing short of amazing, sometimes tracking a tiger for many days. He could tell a tiger's age, sex, and size by it's pug marks. Many tigers turned man eater because of injury by gunfire or porcupines. On several occasions he predicted where on its body a tiger was injured based on it's track.

See the reviews on Amazon, here:
https://www.amazon.com/Man-Eaters-Kumaon...aters+of+kumaon

Jack O'Connor, Gene Hill, Ted Trueblood...

Robert Ruark

Howdy Bow5. I got my undergrad in WFSC at Texas A&M. Class of 2010. Great program! What year are you?

As stated above: Leopold (although when I was there A Sand County Almanac was required reading so you probably already have that) Ruark, Capstick, although many of their books are adventure/hunting books.

Although it drives my wife crazy, I have retained a number of my old text and reference books. I still reference my ichthyology, key to skulls, and some wildlife management books from time to time.

If Dr. Fitzgerald is still there, I recommend taking his herpetology course, even if you are not that interested in herps.

Capstick

The Men Who Wear the Star, by Charles M Robinson III. It's a history of the Texas Rangers (LEO, not baseball).
Being down on the border it should have some good historic relevance for you.

And if you have yet to take Political Science... Money, Marbles and Chalk by Jimmy Banks. It's a story/history of Texas Politics. LBJ and box 13, Sharpstown, et al. It may have been written in 1972 but the tales of political chicanery are still relevant today.

This is a great thread.

Echo Elmer Kelton and J Frank Dobie.

Kelton's The Time it Never Rained is outstanding, especially if you have West Texas family from that era. I "knew" everyone in that book.

The Texas Rangers by Dobie is a dense read but very interesting and well-researched history of the Rangers.

Empire of the Summer Moon by SC Gwynne is an outstanding book on the Comanches.

The Captured is a great book written by a guy from Mason about white (Anglo and German) kids who were captured by Indians and raised as Indians.

spend time reading in here... ohh, ta HF... cool thread, while nota much of a reader, after a good days work...
Nothing more relaxing than sitting in a stand with bow in hand, & enjoying Mother Nature & watching the wildlife unfold on the big screen of life....
they added the ignorance list cause my posts aint worth ...

DUH (palm plant to face hard) anything and everything by Dr James C Kroll {Dr Deer}. I know he teaches at a competing school, SFA, but all his stuff on Whitetail studies and research are insightful.

Trees, shrubs, cacti of South Texas by James H. Everitt, D. Lynn Drawe, and Robert I Lonard. A field guide to Common South Texas Shrubs by Richard B. Taylor, Jimmy Rutledge, Joe G. Herrera. Adios to the Brushlands, Keepers of the Wilderness, And, The Sand Sheet, All 3 by Arturo Longoria, all published by A&M Press.

John Graves, Roy Bedichek and Jim Corder.

I have hard-bound copies of Outdoor Life from about '66 into the 80's. They might provide some insight into conservation. I won't give them away, but I can loan them to you if you want. I can get them to you.

Thanks everyone! Finding some great books in this list

Enjoy "The Listening Walk" by Gene Hill. Also "View From a Tower Blind: Reflections From a Texas Whitetail Hunter" by Ray Sasser. Sasser is the outdoor/hunting columnist for the Dallas Morning News sports page for many years. I always try to read "View" before the start of every deer season. Very spiritual, educational and insightful.

Ben K Green. Several great books about Texas

I will second that

Roemer's Texas 1845 to 1847....

Roemer's Texas With Particular Reference Immigration Physical Appearance

Another article


Ferdinand von Roemer

Just finished that one. Probably the best first-person description of the land and people of early Texas there is.